Car-brake signal.



S. E. BURNS.

CAR BRAKE SIGNAL.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 21, I915.

1., 175301 Patented Mar. 14, 1916.

lUNliED @TAS PATNT @352.

SIMEON E. BURNS, 0F GAYCE, SOUTH CAROLINA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTH T6 WILLIAM S. WESTON, OF CAYCE, SOUTH CAROLINA.

CAR-BRAKE SIGNAL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 14, 11916.

Application filed September 21, 1915. Serial No. 51,891.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SiMEoN E. BURNS, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Cayce, in the county of Lexington and State of South Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Brake Signals, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an attachment for use in connection with car" brakes to indicate whether the brakes are released or applied when the brake mechanism is operated.

When the engineer of a train applies the release to the brakes it occasionally happens that one or more of the sets of brakes in the train fails to respond and stays on. This may be due to the fact that the triple valveis out of adjustment, that trash has gathered under the valve seat, or for some other reason, and the result is that the wheels slide and become fiat. There is danger in such cases that the car will jump the track or that it will cause other damage, besides requiring the wheels which are worn to be replaced.

When the train is in motion all of the wheels should be free and in order to insure this condition I have provided a signal which is visible to the trainmen and indicates the exact position of the brake mechanism and its operating means, and will show what brakes have failed to release. In addl: tion I have provided an auxiliary relief valve accessible from the car so that a tramman may quickly release any set of brakes without getting ofl ,or stopping the train.

The above and other objects and the novel features of my invention will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a view illustrating a part of a car equipped with a signal device and relief valve embodying my invention, part of the brake mechanism and its operating means being shown diagrammatically in position below the car; and Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the car, showing the signal device and relief valve connected thereon.

Referring to the drawing, 10 designates so much of an ordinary gondola car as is necessary to show the use of my invention thereon, and it is to be understood that the invention 'may be applied to any type of railwav car. The brake mechanism and the operating means for the same may be of any well known or preferred type and in the drawing 1 have shown an operating means .which consists of an air reservoir 11 connected by suitable valves 12 and by piping 13 to the main air supply or train pipe 1 1 which extends the length of the train. A main control valve 15 located in the engine is connected to the pipe 14' and controls the admission of air thereto. A brake cylinder 16 is connected to the air reservoir 11 and has a piston (not shown) working therein, said piston being provided with a piston rod 17 to which the brake lever 18 is pivotally connected. The various brake rods 19, brake beams 20and other brake levers are connected to the main brake lever 18 and in the well known manner, transmit the braking effort from the main brake lever to the brake shoes on the wheels of the car (not shown). The stroke of the brake piston and the rod 17 connected thereto is limited by the length of the cylinder 16 within which the piston operates and therefore the limits of the travel of the pivot point C, for instance, will be the points A. and B on opposite sides thereof. When the brakes are off the point C will be at some point at or near the point A. and when the brakes are on the pivot C will be at or near the point B depending on the condition of the brake shoes and the adjustments of the brake rods'and levers. A point D above the point C and also on the lever 18 travels proportional with and in the same direction as the point C, and when the brakes are entirely off that point will be at or near a point E, and when the brakes are on it will be at a point near the point F on the opposite side and corresponding to the point B. For any intermediate position of the point D- be tween the points E and F the relative po-' sition of the brake operating means. is indicated and consequently indicates the relative position of the brakes.

In order to show the condition of the brakes to the trainmen I provide a signal the operating means of which is connected at a point D to the lever 18 so that it will move positively and a distance proportional to the distance moved by the brake operating means or by the brake mechanism. The signal preferably comprises a guideway 22 located at some convenient place on the car and in the drawing is shown fastened on the outside of the end wall of the car where sop it will be in plain sight of the trainmen on the car. The guide 22 forms a housing and guideway for a bar 23 which slides vertically in the guide 22 and the height of which will indicate the position of the brakes. The lower end of the bar is connected to a cable or chain 24 which passes around the sheaves 25 and 26 andis connected at its opposite end to the brake lever 18 at the point D. The weight or bar 23 is free to travel vertically in the guideway' 22 as the point D of the lever 18 travels horizontally, the travel of the two parts being the same and in proportion with the travel of the brake shoes toward the wheel. rims. The bar 23 will move downwardly by gravity when the point D moves to the point E and will be pulled upwardly when the point D moves to the point F, the up or down position of the weight indicating the relative position of the brakes when on and 011', respectivelv.

The reservoir 11 may be provided with the usual release valve and rod 27 which are ordinarily operated from the ground on either side of the car to release the brakes. In order to provide means so that the brakes may be released while the car is running and by a trainman from aboard the car I provide a pipe line 28 which is tapped into the top or bottom of the reservoir 11 and leads to some convenient place on the top end or side of the car, in the drawing being shown on the end of the car associated with the brake signal appliance. The end of the pipe 28 is equipped with a release valve 29 of any suitable type adapted to be operated by hand to release the air from the reservoir and brake cylinder.

The operation of the mechanism will be apparent from the foregoing description. It will be seen that the signal or indicating device and the relief valve near the top of the car serve as simple and "excellent means to show the brakeman whether or not the brakes are on and provide means so that he can readily release the brakes. The brake signal appliance also shows the condition of the brakes when the brakes are operated by hand.

Having'thus described the invention what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination with a railway car, of brake operating means carried beneath the. car and comprising an air cylinder. a piston working'therein, a piston rod rigidly connected to said piston to move therewith and projecting outside the cylinder, brake mechanism beneath the car comprising a brake lever pivotally connected intermediate its ends to the end of sald piston rod,

lever on opposite sides of the piston rod, an air supply pipe connected to said cylinder, a valve for controlling the air supply to the cylinder, a slidable indicator bar, a guideway for saidbar fastened to the outside of the end of the car near its top, a

cable connected at one end to said bar, guides on said car over which said cable passes, the other end of said cable being connected to one end of said brake lever,

whereby the indicating bar will have a movement proportional to but greater than the piston movement and will show to a trainman aboard the car to what extent the vand brake rods connected to said brake.

brake mechanism is operatedby the brakevalve for controlling the air supply to the cylinder, a slidable indicator bar, a guideway for said bar fastened to the outside of the end of the car near its top, a cable connected at one end to the lower end of said bar, guides on said car over which said cable passes, the other end of said cable being connected'to one end of said brake lever, wherebv the indicating bar will have a movement proportional to but greater than the piston movement and will show to a trainman aboard the car to what extent the brake mechanism is operated by the brake operatingmeans, a pipe connected to the air cylinder and extending up the side of the car outside said indicator guideway, and an auxiliary release valve connected to said pipe, accessible from aboard the car and adapted to be adjusted to release the brakes when the indicating device shows that the piston failed to release said brakes upon operation of said main valve.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

' SIMEON E. BURNS. 

